A Jewish mother and her two children are kidnapped and murdered, and a cheering mob in Gaza celebrates their caskets, placed neatly on a public stage.
Let that truth sink in.
Even the toughest critics of Israel could not ignore seeing the caskets of Shiri Bibas and her two boys Ariel (5) and Kfir (1), as well as that of peace activist Oded Lifshitz, paraded by Hamas terrorists.
In recent weeks, Jews have recoiled in horror as Hamas has unapologetically exposed the torture and starvation it has inflicted on Israeli hostages, while publicly humiliating them with a kind of perverted pride.
Among Jews of all stripes, the reaction has been a mix of rage and outrage.
But for 350 liberal rabbis, whom I have no doubt are also sickened by Hamas cruelty, it was another outrage that merited a full-page ad in The New York Times: President Trump’s plan to rebuild Gaza. The ad, which ran on Feb. 13 while Hamas cruelty was in plain sight, read: “Trump has called for the removal of all Palestinians from Gaza. Jewish people say NO to ethnic cleansing!”
There was no mention of the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre of 1200 Israelis, or that Palestinians were living in misery under the thumb of Hamas, or that, one way or another, a solution must eventually be found to improve Palestinian lives.
Suddenly, rabbis who pride themselves on recognizing complexity became narrow, context-free, one-sided bashers on behalf of Palestinians.
Ironically, the biggest thing missing from the ad was something that demands little context or complexity: raw cruelty.
The cruelty exhibited by Hamas has been astonishing not just because of the cruelty itself but because of the glee that accompanies it. It’s one thing to be cruel; it’s quite another to flaunt it to the world.
And yet, as Rachel O’Donoghue reported in JPost, “Mainstream media outlets barely acknowledged the sheer depravity of Thursday morning’s spectacle, offering only the most muted references to the macabre show.”
She adds: “Not a single major news outlet thought it relevant to report that Hamas had invited families to watch—and that they eagerly did, gathering with music and celebration. Not a single journalist spoke of the carnivalesque atmosphere.”
If Jews must convey anything to the world right now, it is to demand unequivocal condemnation of this depravity.
So, if any of the 350 rabbis who defended Palestinians in that New York Times ad are reading this, here is a suggestion: Given that you are surely outraged by Hamas cruelty, why don’t you run another ad, this one on behalf of your people, with a message like this:
“Hamas has celebrated its cruelty with Israeli hostages. Jewish people say NO to such depravity and YES to its global condemnation!”
Yes, defending your people is also a Jewish value.
Update: It was announced later that the caskets included the bodies of the two Bibas children but not that of the mother, Shiri Bibas.
